5)SUMMER SCHOOL: BRAVE NEW WORLDS: UNDERSTANDING THE PLANETS OF OTHER STARS

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1 Newsletter Issue 16-07, March 8, CONTENTS )REMINDER: LAST CALL FOR 2016 DPS PRIZE NOMINATIONS 2)NASA ADVISORY COUNCIL PLANETARY SCIENCE SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING 3)NASA PDS ROADMAP TEAM NOMINATIONS 4)EIGHTH ANNUAL SUSAN NIEBUR WOMEN IN PLANETARY SCIENCE EVENT AT LPSC 5)SUMMER SCHOOL: BRAVE NEW WORLDS: UNDERSTANDING THE PLANETS OF OTHER STARS 6)2016B NASA IRTF CALL FOR PROPOSALS 7)OBSERVATION CAMPAIGN OF KBO TARGETS FOR PROPOSED NEW HORIZONS EXTENDED MISSION 8)UPCOMING MEETINGS REMINDER: LAST CALL FOR DPS 2016 PRIZE NOMINATIONS DEADLINE MARCH 15, 2016 Every year the DPS recognizes exceptional achievement in our field. It is time to consider nominating a respected colleague for one of the annual DPS prizes: The Gerard P. Kuiper Prize honors outstanding contributions to the field of planetary science. The Harold C. Urey Prize recognizes outstanding achievement in planetary research by a young scientist. The Harold Masursky Award acknowledges outstanding service to planetary science and exploration. The Carl Sagan Medal recognizes and honors outstanding communication by an active planetary scientist to the general public. American Astronomical Society. Page 1 of 10

2 The Jonathan Eberhart Planetary Sciences Journalism Award recognizes and stimulates distinguished popular writing on planetary sciences. Detailed descriptions of each of the prizes and the criteria for nominees for each can be found at [1]. The nomination form and instructions can also be retrieved from this website. The completed nomination form and supporting material should be ed to [2]. Starting this year we are requiring that the nomination package with all supporting material be submitted as a single document of less than 20 mbytes;.pdf is highly preferred. If you have a nomination from a past year that is being carried over, you do not need to resubmit unless you are including new material. Anyone except current DPS Committee members may submit a nomination. A completed nomination will be retained and considered by the Prize Subcommittee for three years, or as long as the nominee is eligible, whichever is less. Past nominees may be re-nominated after the expiration of a prior nomination. A posthumous nomination is allowed for a limited time after the nomineeâs death, except for the Sagan Medal. For specific details, see the URL noted above. The deadline for nominations this year is March NASA ADVISORY COUNCIL PLANETARY SCIENCE SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING The Planetary Science Subcommittee of the NASA Advisory Council will meet TOMORROW March 9 and Thursday March 10.The link to the agenda Page 2 of 10

3 appears below, as well as information on how to join the meeting via telephone and webex: [3] Teleconference Information: Toll free conference call number Pass code: WebEx Link: [4] Meeting number for March Password: PSS@Mar9 Meeting number for March Password: PSS@Mar NASA PDS ROADMAP TEAM NOMINATIONS Dear Colleague, ** Be a part of the future of NASAâs Planetary Data System (PDS)! The PDS is beginning the process of creating its next Roadmap and NASA is soliciting self-nominations for the PDS Roadmap Study Team. The goal of this activity is to develop a practical, community-developed pathway to implement the new long-term vision (see URL below) for the PDS, which continues to accomplish NASAâs broad objective for the PDS; namely, preserving and making available all data products from planetary exploration research and missions. The PDS Chief Scientist, Dr. Ralph McNutt (Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory), will serve as the Chair of the Roadmap Page 3 of 10

4 Study Team. Ms. Emily Law (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory - JPL) will serve as his Deputy. Background The Planetary Data System (PDS) archives electronic data products from NASA planetary missions, sponsored by NASA's Science Mission Directorate. It actively manages the archive to maximize its usefulness. All PDS-curated products are peer-reviewed, well documented, and available online to scientists and to the public. More information on The Roadmap is available from the PDS homepage at: [5]. The PDS is one of four NASA organizations within the Planetary Science Division which works to ensure that planetary science archived data and curated samples remain accessible to current researchers; preserved for future generations; and protected against corruption, contamination, and loss. NASA expects to increase interoperability and searchability across all archives. It is expected that the PDS Roadmap Study Team will do much of its work virtually, using tele- and web-conferences. However, there will be up to three, two-day long face-to-face meeting. To nominate yourself for membership on the PDS Roadmap Study team, a single PDF-formatted file to the PDS Program Scientist, Dr. Michael New, at michael.h.new@nasa.gov [6] and the PDS Program Executive, Mr. William Knopf, at William.knopf-1@nasa.gov [7] by 11:59 PM EDT on March 28, The subject line should include the phrase âpds Roadmap Study Team Self-Nominationâ. The application material should consist of: 1. The reasons for the submitterâs interest in the PDS Roadmap. Page 4 of 10

5 2. The capabilities and experience that the submitter would bring to the PDS Roadmap. 3. A short statement of commitment to perform the tasks assigned to the PDS Roadmap. 4. A two-page resume or /curriculum vitae/, including relevant publications. Nominations are solicited from researchers at U.S.-based research and academic institutions, Government laboratories, including NASA centers and JPL, industry, and private individuals. Only U.S. persons (for the purpose of U.S. export control regulations, i.e., U.S. citizens and permanent residents; see [8]) are eligible to serve on the PDS Roadmap Study Team. NASA will select the PDS Roadmap members for balance of expertise in relevant science and technology areas. NASA reserves the right to cancel this road-mapping activity at any time, should programmatic and/or other reasons warrant it. Questions about the PDS Roadmap should be addressed to the NASA PDS Project Manager, Dr. Thomas Morgan, thomas.h.morgan@nasa.gov [9] at EIGHTH ANNUAL SUSAN NIEBUR WOMEN IN PLANETARY SCIENCE EVENT AT LPSC Wednesday, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., Waterway 5, Woodlands Waterway Marroitt (LPSC Conference Venue, Houston, TX) Everyone has implicit or unconscious biases shaped by societal expectations and past experiences. These biases can influence evaluation and judgement, Page 5 of 10

6 in either a positive or negative way. Studies have shown that unconscious bias can negatively affect the careers of women and other minorities in STEM fields. In addition to raising awareness about best practices, this event is meant as a springboard for implementing positive change in our community. We welcome everyoneâs input on this important topic. RSVP (not required, but requested so we will have an idea about attendance numbers), and more information: [10] Note: The formal event will be 6:00-7:30 and light refreshments will be provided thanks to generous support from the Division for Planetary Sciences (thank you!!!). We have the room until 8 for those who wish to continue small group discussions SUMMER SCHOOL: BRAVE NEW WORLDS: UNDERSTANDING THE PLANETS OF OTHER STARS May 29-June 03, 2016 â Lake Como School of Advanced Studies. Only nine planets were known before 1995, the ones orbiting our favourite star, the Sun, which then included Pluto. Twenty years later, we have «lost» Pluto but we have gained two thousands planets in orbit around other stars. Current statistical estimates indicate that, on average, every star in our Galaxy hosts at least one planetary companion, i.e. our Milky Way is crowded with one hundred billion planets! The most revolutionary aspect of this young field is the discovery that the Solar System does not appear to be the paradigm in our Galaxy, but rather one of the many possible configurations we are seeing out there. These include planets completing a revolution in less than one day, Page 6 of 10

7 as well as planets orbiting two stars or moving on trajectories so eccentric as to resemble comets. Some of them are freezing cold, some are so hot that their surface is molten. Finding out why are these new worlds as they are is one of the key challenges of modern astrophysics. The school is directed to Ph.D. students and young researchers who are interested in widening their knowledge in the field exoplanets, through an integrated approach covering observations, data analysis and interpretation. More information is available at: [11] B NASA IRTF CALL FOR PROPOSALS The due date for the 2016B semester (August 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017) is Friday, April 1, See our online submission form, which is available for proposal submission from 12:00AM on March 01, 2016 until 5:00PM on April 01, 2016 HST. Available instruments include: (1) SpeX, a 0.7 â 5.3 micron cross-dispersed medium-resolution spectrograph (up to R=2,500) and imager; (2) CSHELL, a 1-5 micron high-resolution spectrograph (up to R=40,000), available until Sept. 30, 2016; (3) MORIS, a 512x512 pixel Andor CCD camera (60"x60" field-of-view) mounted at the side-facing window of the SpeX cryostat that can be used simultaneously with SpeX; and (4) ishell, a 1.1 â 5.3 micron cross-dispersed echelle spectrograph (up to R=70,000) and imager, is expected to be available starting Oct. 1, 2016 under shared risk. Information on available facility and visitor instruments and performance can be found at: [12]. Page 7 of 10

8 Please see [13] for the full text OBSERVATION CAMPAIGN OF KBO TARGETS FOR PROPOSED NEW HORIZONS EXTENDED MISSION Having completed its successful flyby of the Pluto system, the New Horizons spacecraft is on a trajectory to encounter Kuiper Belt Object 2014 MU69. Pending NASA approval for an extended mission, New Horizons will also take advantage of being an observing platform in the outer solar system to observe a select number of other KBOs having favorable geometries for resolved or high signal-to-noise measurements. Earth-based observations can support these pending New Horizons measurements through calibrated photometry at low phase angle (Earth), which will be complementary to the higher phase angle data from the spacecraft. In particular for objects having the potential for resolved imaging from the spacecraft, knowledge of the rotational phase at the time of the New Horizons observations can help constrain the overall shape of these distant objects. An Earth-based campaign website in support of the pending science from the New Horizons extended mission is under construction. Candidate KBO targets UPCOMING MEETINGS A) Half a Decade of ALMA: Cosmic Dawns Transformed September 20-23, 2016 Renaissance Indian Wells Resort & Spa Indian Wells, CA, USA Page 8 of 10

9 Mid April 2016 Abstract submissions and Registration opens Mid May 2016 Abstract submission closes The sensitivity and spectral grasp of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have revolutionized the study of youngest structures in the Universe, from galaxy formation through the formation of stars and planets. ALMA has produced over 300 refereed papers with over 3000 citations at its four-year mark, reporting impressive and scientifically compelling results as the most sensitive and highest resolution mm/submm interferometer in the world. This international four-day conference will highlight ALMA results at the threshold of the array's fifth year of science operations and bring together researchers from around the world to motivate collaborations for ALMA Cycle 5. Science topics will include all fields of astronomy, from the solar system and the Sun to exoplanets, circumstellar disks and planet and star formation, astrochemisty, evolved stars, the interstellar medium and star formation in our own Galaxy, to nearby galaxies and beyond to the distant Universe. The conference will feature invited and contributed talks as well as poster sessions. Early career researchers and students are particularly encouraged to attend. Meeting website: [14] Send submissions to: Anne Verbiscer, DPS Secretary [15] ) To unsubscribe visit [16] unsubscribe@aas.org [17]. To change your address address@aas.org [18]. Page 9 of 10

10 Powered by TCPDF ( Newsletter Footer Reports Photos History Bylaws Giving Source URL: Links: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] American Astronomical Society. Page 10 of 10